


Digimon Tamers: Quantum Conflict

by DinoGuy2000



Category: Digimon Tamers
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Gen, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-29
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-08-09 14:40:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16451804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DinoGuy2000/pseuds/DinoGuy2000
Summary: This is my second attempt at authoring a Digimon fanfiction, and my first multi-chapter Digimon fanfiction. I hope I do well. I'm attempting to create a slightly darker atmosphere than the show had for Tamers, and I tried to keep the characters as in character as possible.





	1. Opening Shots

**Author's Note:**

> This is my second attempt at authoring a Digimon fanfiction, and my first multi-chapter Digimon fanfiction. I hope I do well. I'm attempting to create a slightly darker atmosphere than the show had for Tamers, and I tried to keep the characters as in character as possible.

Radio communications are in italics.

_Standard disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Digimon, they belong to Toei Animation and Bandai of Japan. If I did, my OTPs would be canon._

It was a pleasantly warm summer day in Shinjuku, one that didn't confine everyone inside with drowning humidity. Many people were taking advantage of this by having a fun day at the park. Among the many people in the park were a group of teenagers gathered around a concrete hut; along with several creatures which varied widely in their appearance. The teenagers, now relatively well-known thanks to the fact that they saved the world, were the Tamers. The creatures could now be identified as Digimon, namely the partners of the Tamers. It had been four years since the D-Reaper attacked and three years since the Digimon returned. After the barriers between the worlds had been strengthened with the defeat of the D-Reaper, they almost immediately began to decay. The decay was not exponential and had entered a state Hypnos called 'variable stability'; where the strength of the barrier between the digital and human worlds was in flux.

 

Eventually, the weakened barrier allowed Digimon to begin bio-emerging again, and the first ones to do so were not their partners. The few Digimon who began to attempt to bio-emerge had been stopped by Hypnos and their Yuggoth program, but stronger Digimon eventually found their way to the human world and caused significant destruction before being contained or destroyed. With the threat of Digimon a major concern again, Hypnos launched a search for their partners. By manipulating the barrier near the Digimon, they were able to create rifts for the Digimon to return through. Once the Digimon returned, the lives of the Tamers had once again become similar to their lives before Juggernaut forced them to give up their partners. Currently, the Tamers were enjoying their summer break from school.

 

The Tamers, upon closer inspection, were separated into two groups. More specifically, one group of four clustered near the steps to the hut and a lone redhead lounging beneath a tree. The Digimon were playing some form of tag a small distance away, with the exception of a kitsune in the branches of the tree the redhead was lounging under. Said redhead appeared to be napping. The other group, however, was far more lively.

 

“Yeah, I beat you again!” The visor-wearing Tamer named Kazu said.

 

The only girl of the group placed a hand on her chin and looked toward Kazu.

 

“Isn't that your fourth win, Kazu?” The brunette girl named Jeri asked. She was, thankfully, lacking a sock puppet on either of her hands.

 

Kazu opened his mouth to reply, but he was interrupted by the blue-haired Tamer.

  
“It is his fourth win, and with the same strategy no less,” Henry said, glancing at Kenta as he said the last part. Kenta hung his head in shame as the rest of the group looked at him.

 

“Yeah! A chimpanzee could play better than you!” Kazu taunted, pointing at Kenta.

 

“Yeah, well, at least the chimpanzee would smell better than you!” Kenta shot back.  Jeri giggled while Henry rolled his eyes as the two tamers threw insult after insult at each other.

 

“Would you two loudmouths shut up?! Some of us are trying to take a nap!” Came a new voice. Both Kazu and Kenta froze in terror. They had made the mistake of waking the Digimon Queen, and with her, her wrath. The blood drained from their faces as they looked at each other hoping to come up with some way to save themselves. Their savior came in the form of the sudden appearance of the goggle-wearing Tamer named Takato with, Guilmon in tow.

 

Takato was tearing down the path through the park, only slowing when his goggles started to fly off his head. His hand shot up and grasped his goggles in an attempt to keep them on his head, where they belonged. Takato slowed even more as he neared the group.

 

“I'm here! Sorry I'm late!” Takato called finally stopping in between the redhead and the other tamers. He placed his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. Guilmon immediately ran off to join in on the game that the others were playing.

 

'Typical Gogglehead.' Rika thought, shaking her head at his antics. She laid her head back on the ground and tried to resume her nap. The others had a similar reaction, and soon afterward they switched Kenta out for Henry and set up for the next game.

 

 Takato was eventually able to breathe normally again and walked over to Rika. Rika was blissfully unaware of the approaching Gogglehead and was understandably surprised when she heard someone fall to the ground next to her. She jumped and quickly caught herself with her hands, now supporting her new sitting position.

 

“Hey, Rika.” Takato merrily greeted.

 

Rika turned her head to look at Takato, who had his hands behind his head and a smile on his face.

 

“What took you so long, Goggles? Did you forget about us?” Rika asked with a smirk.

 

“No,” Takato replied, “I was helping my parents with the bakery and I lost track of the time.”

 

Rika sighed at his response and shifted herself so that she was sitting against the tree. Takato remained where he was and only looked at her through half-lidded eyes. He watched her as her eyes traveled over all of their friends, and all he could think about were his feelings for the girl. He had come to like her quite a bit, but he still liked Jeri in a similar way as well. He hadn't actually told Jeri how he felt about her after they watched their partners return to the digital world. After losing Guilmon, he had lost his nerve. It seemed that in the meantime, he had developed feelings for Rika. Now, he wasn't completely sure of his feelings toward either of the girls. Takato could not, in good conscience, tell one girl he had strong feelings for her when he had similar feelings for another girl. He would only feel like he was lying to them. He was jerked from his thoughts when Rika started talking.

 

“School is going to start again soon.” Rika said with a frown.

 

The Tamers had turned, or were turning, sixteen this year, and were all in high school.

 

“You still go to a private school, don't you?” Takato asked.

 

“On the other side of the city, no less.” Rika replied with a roll of her eyes.

 

“You know what that means, don't you?” She asked, glancing down at Takato. When he didn't reply, she continued.

 

“That means I won't be able to see you all as much anymore.” She said with a hint of sadness.

 

Takato rolled onto his side and looked at Rika. “Don't be like that, Rika. We'll still see each other pretty often.” He thought for a moment before continuing. “I'll even walk you to school! Every queen has a knight, right?”

 

Rika rolled her eyes and let out a groan. “Gogglehead, I doubt you would ever get up early enough to walk me to school and get to your own on time.” Her eyes narrowed. “And I don't need a knight!”

 

'But maybe I want one.' She thought. 'No, he likes Jeri. He'd never like me like that.' She blushed as she realized what she had thought. 'Not that I like him like that or anything.' She banished her thoughts with a shake of her head. She leaned her head back on the tree and smirked. Takato rolled on to his back and closed his eyes. Rika's eyes went to the other Tamers as Kazu let out a shout of defeat.

 

“Just relax, Rika. It's summer, and everything is fine. What could possibly go wrong that we aren't already used to?” Takato asked with a light voice.

 

Rika looked at him and frowned. “You probably just jinxed it, you stupid Gogglehead.”

 

A tall white man of European, or possibly American descent, with light brown hair, walked down a nondescript hallway; complete with annoyingly bright lights which seemed to be a necessity for stereotypical hallways. His black, leather-gloved hands clenched into fists, his only company was the sound of his combat boots against the tile floor. His face seemed to be locked in a perpetual frown, which deepened as he began unbuttoning his black greatcoat.

 

'Damned lights.' he thought, piercing blue eyes flickering toward the ceiling.

 

He opened his greatcoat to reveal an older forest camouflage pattern for his shirt and pants.

 

The man's frown deepened even further as he thought, 'They keep the meeting rooms dark, so why are hallways so bright?' His face returned to a neutral expression as he rounded the corner to his destination.

 

He took in his unassuming destination, a plain wooden door at the end of a bland hallway. The man smirked.

 

'All I need to do is convince these idiots to support me, and I will take my rightful place at the head of the most powerful Empire in the infinite multi-verse.' he thought happily.

 

The man returned his face to a neutral expression, now halfway to his destination. 'I shouldn't get ahead of myself. All in due time.'

 

He reached his destination and took a deep breath, held it, and then released after a few seconds. The man opened the door and stepped into the dark room.

 

The room was surprisingly small, containing only a computer console and four screens. The screens were numbered one through four from left to right. The man glanced at his watch on one hand and activated the backlight with his other hand, turning him into a silhouette.

 

'If these fools are anything, they're punctual. The meeting is set to begin in ten seconds.' True to his prediction the screens came to life ten seconds later to reveal four silhouetted figures.

 

The man rolled his eyes. 'How cliché. Though, I look the same.' He thought. The man took a deep breath and started the meeting.

 

“I have called you all today to ask for your assistance in my campaign against our mutual enemy.” He spoke in English with an accent of the American Midwest.

 

The man on screen two leaned forward and replied, “Greetings, call sign Dovev, if I may start with a question?” This man's voice revealed nothing of his origins, with it being fed through a voice modulator first. The man, now christened 'Dovev' nodded.

 

“Why have you chosen this universe to start in?” The man on screen two questioned.

 

 “As you all know, through the 'many worlds' interpretation of quantum mechanics, there are an infinite number of universes for an infinite number of possibilities. This has been proven to be a reality. Therefore, there are an infinite number of universes where zombies reign supreme, children share their bodies with gods, and where our enemy has no presence, just to name some examples. The last example is why I have chosen this universe, so our only obstacle is a few children and their Digimon.”

 

“What about the children and their Digimon? Will they not stop you?” The man asked, leaning forward.

 

“The best way to stop them is to kill the Tamers and their Digimon partners should go on a rampage. Though, perhaps only the virus Digimon will, as the others aren't nearly as aggressive.” Dovev said, contemplating the last part. “Nonetheless,” He continued, “I have plans in place to keep the Tamers from biomerging.”

 

“But why not a universe where the DigiDestined are not in contact with our enemy?” The man on screen four asked.

 

“The barriers between the human and digital worlds are weaker here, and there isn't some meddlesome digital man like Gennai to organize a defense.”

 

The man on screen four nodded in understanding.

 

The man on screen three asked, “Then why not a universe with some other powerful entities, like ghosts or demons?”

 

“Our enemy is capable of killing most creatures easily, like ghosts and most demons, but has trouble with Digimon. The weapons capable of killing Digimon are not mass produced in the Empire.”

 

The man on screen one leaned forward and asked, “Will other versions of our enemy not stop you or help our version?”

 

“The infinite number of our enemy operate independently most of the time. The low threat I represent, and the fact that I have successfully evaded all attempts at surveillance guarantee that we will have no problems like that.”

 

“Basically,” Dovev surmised, “I am his problem, so the others won't interfere.”

 

The man on screen one surmised, “You want access to our resources so you can raise an army and take command of our enemy’s Empire.”

 

Dovev turned to screen one and replied with a smooth, “Correct. You will all be rewarded greatly when I have taken my rightful place as head of the Empire.” The man on screen one nodded.

 

“We have a deal.” all four people on the screens said simultaneously. “Everything you have requested will be sent to you in three weeks.” With that, the group cut the transmission.

 

Dovev turned on his heel, and left the room, entering the plain hallway again. He hissed and squeezed his eyes shut when they were assaulted by the bright lighting. He stopped to let his eyes adjust to the light, and then made his way out of the building. He turned into the lobby of the building and closed his greatcoat. Walking to the main entrance of the building, he made a few adjustments to his coat and emerged onto the streets of Osaka. He turned to his right and joined the crowd on the sidewalk as he walked toward his hotel.

 

'The Tamers will fall and I will have my revenge!' Dovev thought. 'Such a shame though, I kind of liked them.' After finishing that thought, Dovev donned a grin, his first grin in many months, a grin full of venom and malice.

 

Unknown to Dovev, a man smirked as he followed him, moving fluidly and unnoticed in his advanced stealth suit.

 

“Positive ID on target Dovev, sir. Shall I dispatch the target?” The man asked into his built-in radio as he snaked through the crowds of people.

 

“ _Negative. There is something we're missing right now. Continue to follow the target Stealth Commando 2942._ ” Came the reply through the radio.

 

“Understood.” the stealth commando replied, focusing his efforts towards remaining undetected while following the target.

 

**Five weeks later**

Takato was sitting at his desk, drawing. He tried to erase the landscape but only succeeded in ripping the paper. He grumbled and threw the ruined paper in his trashcan by his desk. Takato grabbed a clean sheet and leaned back in his chair. Takato had recently embarked on a personal mission to draw each and every one of his friends with his improved skills. Lately, however, he had worked himself ragged finishing the several he had done. In order to do his best work, he had decided to take a small break, hence the ruined landscape. He scanned his wall in front of his desk, now covered in drawings of landscapes, buildings, and Digimon.

 

Takato had greatly improved in his skills from four years ago from when he drew up Guilmon, and he was using his improved talents to draw his friends. He had finished Henry, Kazu, Kenta, and several others that he didn't actually see often, like Ryo, along with their respective Digimon. Those drawings were now stored in a binder on his desk. His attempts to draw two of his very best friends were less than successful. Takato was having difficulties trying to draw Rika and Jeri. Staring at his blank paper, a thought occurred to Takato.

'What would Rika do if she knew I was drawing her?' That train of thought quickly led to several possibilities, many of which weren't good. Shaking his head, he returned his train of thought to its' original subject. No matter how hard he tried, he had yet to create something he deemed even 'good.'  He glanced to his right at the binder of completed drawings. Simple pencil sketches, but he was able to capture so much in them. He then glanced to his left at the much thicker binder of failed attempts, most recently filled by Rika and Jeri.

 

'Jeri and Rika.' Takato's mind drifted to his two best female friends. Time had changed them both. Puberty had taken effect and both had developed impressively in the physical sense, but Rika pulled ahead of Jeri in that area. Rika had inherited her mother's beauty, among other things. Takato mentally slapped himself as a blush was forming on his face.

 

'Bad hormones.' Takato thought with a scowl. 'They're my friends, I shouldn't think about them like that.'

 

His mind wandered toward a less hormone-driven direction. 'Jeri and Rika had also changed mentally, or emotionally, which would be applicable here?' Takato shook his head and refocused his thoughts. 'Jeri had mental wounds from losing Leomon and the torture inflicted upon her by the D-Reaper. Rika, on the other hand, had warmed up to the others. Though she was still aggressive, so it was in everyone's best interests not to anger her.'

 

Takato thought about the two girls a little more. 'I like Jeri; but is it friendly, sibling-like, or a simple crush? Maybe something more perhaps?' And then there was Rika. 'Do I like her as a friend? A crush? Perhaps even love?' That thought caused him to pause. 'I feel strongly for Jeri, along with Rika. Are these feelings love, or something else?' Takato sighed and looked down at the blank paper. It was late, and he had school tomorrow.

 

“I'll finish later.” Takato mumbled, sliding out of his seat toward his bed. After sliding under the covers he suddenly felt drained. As he drifted off to sleep, one last thought entered his mind. 'I have plenty of time to sort out my feelings, don't I?'

 

**Auf Wiedersehen!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Radio and sound effects are in italics.

  _Standard disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Digimon, they belong to Toei Animation and Bandai of Japan. If I did, my OTPs would be canon._

* * *

 

**23:30 JST**

 

Several mercenaries were currently waiting for their deployment orders in an unused warehouse in Yokohama's port. Most of the soldiers-for-hire were clustered around several tables, each table covered with uniforms, armor, and weapons. Two soldiers were inspecting the vans near the supply entrance.

 

“These are our deployment vehicles, da?” A tall, broad-shouldered man asked in a deep voice with a heavy Russian accent.

 

“Ja. Zey are not armored very vell, zo.” A shorter, much thinner man replied in a somewhat high pitched voice with an obvious Germanic accent. He placed his right hand on his chin and leaned forward to inspect the vehicle. The siding on the van would barely stop handguns and would do nothing against faster rifle rounds.

 

“I do not zink ve can escape easily in zese vans.” The Germanic man speculated.

 

Before they had a chance to comment further on the subject, a door at the other end of the warehouse slammed open. In walked Dovev, along with a few other men, wheeling in two cork boards with maps pinned to them. Dovev walked inside a few paces, stopped, and clasped his hands behind his back. The boards were wheeled to spots behind and to the left and right of Dovev. The soldiers quickly lined up in front of Dovev and snapped to attention. Dovev looked them all over and then began.

 

“Good evening, gentlemen. I will be briefing you on our mission objectives for tomorrow.”

 

Dovev turned to the map on the right and pointed to it. It was a map of a large building, with several markings in various colors detailing certain areas of the building or phases of the operation.

 

“The Tamers will be attending school again tomorrow, and they will also die tomorrow. You gentlemen will be killing them.” Dovev turned to look at them, and he studied their faces. He saw no hesitation.

 

“We already have their schedules, so you'll know exactly where they should be.” He continued. “They need to be dealt with immediately and efficiently. I cannot risk them interfering with my plans. Even the partner-less Jeri must die.” Dovev stared each man down, daring one of them to flinch. When they did not, he continued.

 

“We will discuss the specific details of each squads' plan later. First, I want to direct your attention to the equipment I have prepared for you over there.” Dovev said, pointing to the tables the soldiers were clustered around earlier.

 

“As I’m sure you have already noticed, the uniforms and armor are all assigned to individual soldiers. The weapons, however, are free game. They are all extremely common weapons, Kalashnikovs and Glocks and the like. They are all the same and should be no problem for any of you to use.”

 

Dovev looked them all over and asked one question.

 

“Do you all understand me?”

 

The simultaneous reply was, “Sir, yes sir!”

 

Dovev smirked and said, “Then let us begin.”

 

**03:30 JST**

 

A convoy of six black vans entered Shinjuku. As soon as the last van entered Shinjuku, it broke off from the line and drove toward the industrial area of Shinjuku. Its mission was elsewhere today. The rest continued deeper into the city for several minutes. Finally, another van broke off from the group and drove deeper into the city toward its objective; while the last four split up and surrounded their objective, making sure all entrances and exits were visible to the drivers.

 

Inside each of the vans were five heavily armed and armored soldiers and a driver. The men and the city remained deathly silent.

 

The silence in the vans was broken by a voice over the radio.

 

“ _Good morning, gentlemen. Let's go over the missions for today again, shall we? Team A, your mission is a simple one. Kill some defenseless children and make it look as if terrorists killed them. That is a simple red herring to keep the government distracted while we get in position for phase two.”_ Dovev instructed his soldiers with an authoritarian tone.

 

“ _Team B, your mission is to kill Rika. Tactically, you have the greatest chance of success. Rika is the only Tamer in the area, so she will have no backup.”_

 

“ _Team C, your mission has no action today, as you need to secure the base.”_

 

“ _Once those brats are taken care of,”_ He continued, _“Kill anyone you please until we evac. Then we have the Japanese Imperialist Front, the terrorist group we created, take the blame.”_ He stopped for a few seconds to let his instructions sink in until he continued.

 

“ _After that, return to base.”_ Dovev finished. He took a breath and gave his last command until his operation began. “ _We start at ten hundred hours, local time.”_

 

* * *

 

Henry was curled up in his bed dreaming, occasionally twitching in his sleep. A troubled look crossed his face, and he clutched the blankets closer to his body. In his dream, he could see only blurred colors and shapes that vaguely resembled people. Henry also had a curious feeling, terror. No matter how he looked at something, he could only see blurred shapes and colors, and could only feel terror. Suddenly, muffled screaming reached his ears.

 

'Those screams sound like some of my classmates.' Henry realized before he awoke with a start.

 

He sat up in his bed and took several deep breaths, and then looked at his surroundings. He saw Terriermon asleep at the computer, his face on the keyboard. His eyes moved to the clock by his bed. The numbers read 4:00. Having calmed down, Henry realized that he could barely remember what had woken him up. He closed his eyes, trying to recall more information, only to find he could not. He could only recall screams. Henry laid back down on his pillow.

 

'It was just a nightmare.' Henry reasoned. Having calmed sufficiently, Henry drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

 

Rika was sprawled out on her bedroll, her blanket tossed aside at some point in the night, dreaming as well. She could tell that she was outside in her dream, somewhere on the way home from her school. Annoyingly, she was unable to see anything aside from her surroundings. No people, no cars, just the road, sidewalk, and a couple of trees. Suddenly a feeling of surprise ran through her, before being replaced with fear.

 

'Why am I scared?' She wondered. 'There's nothing to be scared of.'

 

Immediately after that thought, five dark, blurry figures surrounded her. She could tell that each of the figures were holding something long in their hands and that the items were pointed at her. After a few seconds, a yellow and white blur impacted a blurry figure on her left. The dark figure went flying while the yellow and white figure hit another dark figure in front of her. Rika realized she knew only of only one thing that was yellow, white, and fast.

 

'Renamon is in my dream.' Rika realized. 'But what is she attacking?'

 

Renamon, now clearly identifiable, leaped up into the air and turned toward the two figures on Rika's right side. Renamon crossed her arms and launched an attack, and the figures released an agonizing scream. They fell to the ground and stopped screaming. Red quickly began pooling beneath their forms.

 

'Red?' Rika thought.

 

'That looks like blood.' She realized. Digimon don't bleed. The beings around her were people! Her attention was brought behind her only to see a rifle barrel in her face. She woke up with a gasp. She sat up and looked around her barren room to see Renamon standing near the foot of her bed.

 

“Are you alright?” Renamon asked, moving closer to Rika.

 

Rika took a few deep breaths and answered, “Yeah, it was just a dream Renamon.”

 

Renamon tilted her head to the side. “I sensed you were scared, so I came to check on you.”

“Do you remember anything from the dream?”

 

Rika thought for a minute and replied, “I remember screams, blood, and looking down the barrel of a gun. It was just a dream though,” she continued, “so I'm going back to sleep.”

 

“Sleep well.” Renamon left and Rika laid back down, drifting back to sleep.

 

* * *

 

Takato woke up in a cold sweat with a jump and found himself breathing heavily, his hand reached for his neck.

 

'A nightmare. That's all it was. But what happened?' Takato wondered. 'I remember fear, and a pressure on my throat making it hard to breathe. And then, relief.' He shook his head, unable to make sense of what he remembered.

 

In red the clock blazed with the numbers 4:00. As he calmed down, he was filled with a sense of foreboding. He laid his head back on the pillow but was unable to fall back into peaceful slumber. With a sigh, Takato slid out of bed and walked over to his desk. He stared down at the blank sheet of paper, and then looked at his clock.

 

'Why not? I've got plenty of time.' He seated himself at the desk and began to draw.

 

_Scratch scratch scratch. Rub Rub. Brush._ A constant cycle of drawing, erasing, and brushing away the eraser shavings. Slowly, but surely, a picture was emerging. A vague head shape, and the signature hairstyle of a fiery redheaded tamer. Takato absentmindedly glanced at the clock and did a double take. The clock glowed with the time 6:30. How had he spent THAT much time drawing!? It would be a miracle if he were to be on time to school. He carefully set the drawing in his bag, thinking he could work on it later that day.

 

As he began his morning routine he wondered how he could save time. 'Maybe if I do both of those at the same time? No, maybe if I skipped that? No, but maybe I can rush through that?'

 

An hour and a half later, Takato ran out of the bakery, a bag of day-old bread in one hand, some bread stuffed in his mouth, and his school bag and signature goggles halfway on. He tore down the sidewalk, his dark blue hoodie and jeans catching the air, as he made his way to the park. His dash down the crowded sidewalk was stopped by a crosswalk. He quickly adjusted his goggles and schoolbag as he waited for the signal to cross the street.

 

**08:10 JST**

 

'I might make it to school on time.' Takato thought as he bounded up the last of the steps to Guilmon's hut. He looked up to see his red-skinned, reptilian friend with a concerned look on his face.

 

“Takatomon! You're okay!” Guilmon exclaimed, wrapping his friend in a hug after he opened the gate.

 

“Why wouldn't I be okay?” Takato questioned with a confused look on his face as he set down the bread. Guilmon quickly dived into the bread and began feasting. He swallowed what he had in his mouth.

 

“All I remember is that I woke up and all I could do was worry about you.” Guilmon shoved some more bread into his mouth. “There's a bad smell in the air too.” Guilmon said, swallowing the bread.

 

'A bad smell?' Takato wondered, his eyebrows knotted together in confusion.

 

“I don't know what it is,” Guilmon continued, “but I don't like it.” Takato rubbed Guilmon on the head and stood up.

 

“I've got a weird feeling too, but I have you to protect me.” Takato said, finishing with a grin.

 

“Hey, chumly! You're gonna be late!” a loud voice called from behind Takato. He spun around and to see Kazu and Kenta waving at him. Takato shut the gate and ran down the steps, waving to Guilmon as he did so.

 

“I gotta go! I'll see you later Guilmon!” Takato shouted. Guilmon merely waved his goodbye, as his mouth was currently full of bread.

 

Takato joined up with Kazu and Kenta, and the trio sped towards school.

 

“I can't believe this! I woke up early today and I'm still late!” Takato complained, pulling on his hair.

 

“You woke up early?” Kazu questioned, amazed.

 

“Yeah, I had a nightmare or something I guess.” Takato replied, shrugging.

 

“Whoa, you had one too?” Kazu asked, flabbergasted.

 

“When you woke up, could you remember any of it?” Kenta asked, looking at Takato.

 

“I could remember a little of it.”

 

“We couldn't remember our dreams.” Kenta replied with a frown.

 

“That's not normal, even for us.” Kazu said as they arrived at school.

 

“I'll ask Henry about it in class and tell you at lunch.” Takato said, dashing into school.

 

He looked at the clock as he ran inside. 8:25. 'Late on the first day. Crap. What else is going to go wrong?' He thought grimly.

 

* * *

 

  **Auf** **Wiedersehen**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> those accents in the beginning were super cliché, weren't they?


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Radio and sound effects are in italics.

_Standard disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Digimon, they belong to Toei Animation and Bandai of Japan. If I did, my OTPs would be canon._

**08:25 JST**

“Takato Matsuki, Kazu Shioda, and Kenta Kitagawa have arrived late, as usual.” A soldier in the passenger seat mumbled into his radio, lowering his binoculars. His voice betrayed a Germanic origin. His name tag read 'Gottwald'

“Wong and Katou have already arrived, so all the Tamers here are accounted for.” He stated.

“ _Copy that. What about Bravo Team?_ ” Dovev asked.

“ _We are behind schedule._ ” a voice of Australian origin answered. “By the time we are in position, the operation will have already started.”

“ _With the delay, you won't be able to kill Rika immediately, if at all. Tactically, you had the best chance, and that's been compromised!_ ” Dovev angrily said.

Dovev fumed for a few moments before he continued. “ _No matter, it can be salvaged. She still has no Tamer backup._ ”

“ _Her school will either be on lockdown or release the students._ ” Dovev surmised. “ _She is stubborn,_ ” he continued, “ _If they release the students early, she will probably walk home. With her mother busy doing model things, it will take time for her to arrive to get her daughter. If the girl is picked up, however, we will kill her later tonight._ ” Dovev paused. “ _Continue as planned with the other Tamers. We will deal with Rika when the time comes._ ” Dovev ordered.

“Understood.” Gottwald replied. He glanced at the clock. 08:30 hours. The operation would begin soon.

* * *

Takato was tearing down the hallway toward his first class, algebra. He skidded to a halt in front of the classroom door and threw it open only to receive quite a shock. In the front of the class stood Ms. Asaji. He stared at her with his mouth open while she stared back with an annoyed expression.

“I see your habits haven't changed much, mister Matsuki.” She said in an even tone.

The students already in class turned to look at Takato and started snickering at his predicament.

“What? But I thought- Why are you-” Takato was unable to form a coherent response, so he decided on an apology.

Takato bowed and said, “I'm sorry I'm late, Ms. Asaji. It won't happen again.”

“I doubt that, mister Matsuki. To answer your unasked question, I transferred to the high school this year. Now go wait in the hall for your punishment.” She motioned toward the direction Takato came from.

Takato nodded and closed the door. As he leaned against the wall, he only had one thought. 'How bad could today get?'

Takato was left to his thoughts for a few minutes, and, as expected, his mind wandered until he wasn't even aware of his surroundings. So when the door finally opened, Takato was extremely surprised, causing him to jump several inches in the air. Ms. Asaji was unprepared for Takato's surprise, and she herself faltered in her stride in surprise.

“What was that for, Takato?” She asked with a hand over her heart.

“I'm sorry, I was just thinking about something and you startled me.”

Ms. Asaji shook her head. “We can't have any of that here, Takato. This is high school, and you must focus on your school work.”

“Yes, ma'am.”

“This means you can't be late every day as well. The rules are far more strict than in Elementary school.”

“I know, and I'm sorry. I won't be late again.” Takato finished his promise with a bow.

Ms. Asaji pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. She had a feeling that wouldn't be the case. She turned to the door and opened it, then she looked to Takato. “Take a seat Takato.”

* * *

 

Takato was sprinting down the hallway toward his second class. He glanced up at a clock and started running. He had gotten lost in the hallways and was now dangerously close to being late to his second-period class. He grinned as he came to the door and turned into the class as the bell rang. He attempted to stop and succeeded after skidding several inches on the floor. He panted as he looked at the elderly teacher, who had a bored expression on his face. The class broke out into giggles and the teacher glanced at them.

“You're cutting it close.” The teacher said, looking at Takato. He then nodded towards the class and said, “Have a seat.”

Takato looked at the seats and saw Henry sitting in the row near the door. He then spied a seat in front of him and quickly made his way towards it. He sat down and gathered his supplies for the class on his desk. Henry chuckled and leaned forward a bit.

“The Takato Tornado has made his return, I see.” Henry whispered, snickering afterward.

Takato nodded at Henry's remark as he settled into his seat. A few minutes passed before Takato remembered what he had to talk to Henry about. The teacher was currently droning on about whatever subject he taught. Takato had long forgotten and turned to Henry who sat behind him.

“Hey Henry,” Takato whispered, “Kazu, Kenta, and I all had strange dreams last night. Do you think it means anything?”

Henry tapped his chin, his face having a look of contemplation.

“I had one too, and I remember something from mine.” Henry spoke, glancing away from Takato. Takato had a look of surprise before he began to question Henry.

“Do you remember anything specific, or was it vague? Do you remember if anyone was in it?”

Henry cut in before Takato could ask any more questions. “I don't remember any specifics.” Henry said. Henry's face shadowed and had a look of fear. “All I remember is screaming. Screaming and a feeling of terror.” After finishing, Henry slumped down in his seat. Takato had a thoughtful look on his face.

“So four of us had nightmares. I wonder if Rika or Jeri had one as well.” Takato pondered. He turned around in his seat and looked at the clock. 9:45.

* * *

As soon as the class had started, Kazu and Kenta had stopped paying attention to the teacher and had put all their efforts into passing the time. Currently, they were flicking rubber bands at each other; since they sat next to each other. Kenta had a thoughtful look cross his face as he took aim at Kazu.

“Do you think those dreams mean anything?” He whispered to Kazu as he launched his rubber band. Kazu dodged and readied his own shot.

“You're asking me? With our luck, it could be anything! Heck, it could have been Rika invading our dreams or something.” Kazu launched his own shot, which impacted Kenta's arm. Suddenly, a piece of chalk impacted Kazu's head and both Kazu and Kenta's eyes shot toward the teacher.

“If you two wish to go down to the office on the first day, I recommend you continue what you were doing. Otherwise, face the board and pay attention!” The old teacher barked.

Once the teacher turned back to the board Kazu leaned back in his seat and put his hands behind his head.

Kenta, while pretending to take notes, whispered over to Kazu, “But those dreams were really weird. They probably mean something.”

“Well,” came the reply, “We won't figure anything out by guessing. We'll just have to wait and see if they do mean anything.” With that, Kazu looked over at the clock. 9:50

* * *

Jeri was sitting in her class only halfway paying attention. She was currently staring at her paper while her mind was a million miles away. 'I have a terrible feeling about today.' Her eyebrows furrowed in frustration. 'I had a terrible dream last night. I hope everything will be alright.' She frowned as the thoughts of fear led back to Leomon.

Flashback

She stood there in shock as Leomon lie on the ground, gradually dissolving into data. He looked to Jeri and said, “Be brave, Jeri. Part of me will always be with you. Remember, you have a lion's heart.” Leomon then completely dissolved into data and was absorbed by Beelzemon as she screamed.

Flashback end

Jeri's breathing hitched and she closed her eyes. She slowly exhaled and then slowly took a breath in. Jeri let the sadness come and go, as had become so easy for her in the recent past. She straightened her back in her seat and looked forward toward the front of the class.  
'That was four years ago. It's been hard Leomon,' she thought, 'but you've helped me through it. Thank you for the strength you gave me, the strength that let me forgive Beelzemon and move on in life.' She finished her thought with a grim smile. Her smile became a frown as she remembered why she was worried in the first place.

'That dream.' She thought as she fidgeted in her seat. 'I remember that dream too well. I've remembered all my nightmares too well since the D-Reaper kidnapped me. I was in a classroom.' She glanced around the classroom. 'This classroom, actually. I remember fear, blood, and screaming. So much screaming.' Jeri leaned forward in her seat and supported her head with her hand. 'I hope Takato, and all my friends, were alright then. I know it was a dream, but still...'

Jeri's thoughts returned to Takato and the fluttery feeling that he caused in her chest. A small smile graced her features. 'Oh Takato, I know you have a crush on me, but I'm not sure I know how I feel about you. Do I like you like a crush, or maybe like a sibling?' She looked up at the clock and saw that it was 9:55.

* * *

 

**Auf Wiedersehen!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Radio and sound effects are in italics.

_Standard disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Digimon, they belong to Toei animation and Bandai of Japan. If I did, my OTPs would be canon._

 

**9:55 JST**

 

One of the soldiers glanced up from his watch. He looked to the other four soldiers-for-hire behind him, all clad in balaclavas and gray urban camouflage BDUs, and then looked toward the school. He raised his radio and keyed the microphone.

 

“This is Anderson from squad one to all squads.” Anderson spoke with an English accent. “Squad one will secure the main office, and postpone the news of our arrival.” He took a breath and continued. “Then we will secure the ground floor. Squads two, three, and four will then head toward their objectives.” He paused to look at his watch and continued. “In two minutes we will start. Squad two will target Kazu and Kenta on the second floor. Squad three will target Jeri on the top floor. Any questions so far?” Anderson questioned.

 

“No, sir.” Came the simultaneous reply from four soldiers.

 

“Excellent.” Anderson said with a smile. “Now, squad four, you have the most important targets. You will target Takato and Henry on the third floor.” His eyes narrowed and he frowned. “Failure to eliminate these targets is unacceptable. Understood?”

 

“Yes sir!” came the reply from the leader of squad four.

 

Anderson looked at his watch again. “One minute! Lock and load!” He bellowed. The soldiers then locked in their ammo magazines and chambered a round.

 

“Remember, every third round is an AP round! Count your shots!” Anderson yelled over the radio. He stared at his watch, watching the seconds count down.

 

“DEPLOY!” Anderson screamed.

 

With that order, twenty soldiers poured out of four vans surrounding the school. Three of the squads ran for side entrances while one squad, Anderson's squad, ran towards the main entrance. Anderson ran through the main door and looked into the office. Inside he could see the confused and terrified faces of the staff. He burst through the office door as his squad spread out behind him, two on each side, and they all raised their rifles. The principal's door flew open and Anderson trained his sights on the old man.

 

“Remember, count your shots.” Anderson said to his squad. He switched to Japanese and said, “Hands up! Don't move!” As the staff complied, Anderson motioned for the soldier on his right to move forward. “Find the cameras, and tell me when everyone's in position.”

 

He then motioned for the two soldiers on his left to move up. “You two will clear the office, and bring anyone you find out into the hall.” The soldiers all nodded and moved to complete their objectives.

 

Anderson looked back at the terrified staff and said, “All of you, out in the hall, line up on the wall to the right, and face the wall.” He waited for them to comply. When they didn't, he aimed for one of the secretaries and shot her in the head, blasting blood, bone shards, and brains against the wall.

 

'One.' He thought.

 

“Now!” Anderson yelled. As the terrified staff complied, Anderson motioned for the remaining soldier to watch them. Anderson tensed as he noticed movement coming from around a corner as a voice said, “Friendly inbound.” Anderson relaxed as a soldier approached.

 

“I found the cameras,” He said. “and everyone's in position.”

 

“Excellent.” Anderson replied. He raised his radio and said, “All squads, you are clear to move.” As the squads began moving to their objectives, two more soldiers walked into the front of the office.

 

“Office is clear, sir.” The one on the left said. Anderson nodded and motioned for them to follow him. They walked out into the hall and stopped behind the staff. Many were visibly shaking in fear.

 

“Don't worry,” Anderson said in Japanese. “all you have to do is cooperate, and you'll be fine.” Just as he finished saying this, he walked up to a middle-aged man in line. He raised his rifle and shot the man through the heart. The staff let out screams as he laughed.

 

'Two.' He thought.

 

“Did I say you would be fine? I forgot to mention I'm a liar.” He turned to the soldiers. “Kill them.” He ordered. As the soldiers fired into the backs of the staff, Anderson looked out the door to see police vehicles. His eyes widened and he gasped in shock as he pressed himself against the wall.

 

Anderson brought his radio to his mouth and spoke, “The police are here! It's only been,” He looked at his watch. “Ten minutes!” He finished.

 

'Fuck Dovev's orders. He's not paying us, and I'm not dying here.'

 

“Don't kill anyone yet! We'll need them to get us out of here.” Anderson commanded. He frantically wondered how the police had arrived so quickly. Several hundred feet above him, a drone with a strange emblem on its nose was circling the school. Upon closer inspection, the emblem was a black picture of the earth, with a black katana on the left pointing to the bottom right corner behind the earth, and a black AK-47 on the right with the barrel pointed to the bottom left corner, all with white outlining. On top was a closed fist, with the palm side visible, also outlined in white.

 

**In a room in an unknown location**

 

An airman pressed a few buttons on his keyboard and adjusted his webcam. When the connection was established, he gave a quick salute and quickly started talking.

 

“You were right to deploy a drone, sir. The mercenaries have assaulted the Tamers' school, and I've already alerted the authorities.”

 

“Damn.” The other person said, his voice coming out as a strange mix between autotune and something like a robot. “What did you tell the authorities?”

 

“I told them there was a terrorist attack at the school, sir.”

 

“Good, that should buy us some time.” There were a few moments of silence before he continued. “What about Rika? Is there anyone attacking her?”

 

“Not at the moment.”

 

“Deploy a special operations team to the school under attack right now, and have a stealth commando follow Rika.” This time, the person on the other end of the call was talking to someone off-screen.

 

“Good work, soldier.” This was directed at the airman sitting at his desk. “Keep an eye on the situation, and report any updates to central command. They'll be organizing this for now.” He cut the transmission.

 

The airman turned back to his control station and resumed his mission.

 

**Tamers' School**

**10:05 JST**

 

Kazu and Kenta were still trying their hardest to avoid learning about anything when they, and their entire class, were startled by a loud sound. Everyone jumped in their seats and looked at the closed door. The class erupted in a chorus of questions.

 

“What was that!?”

 

“Was that a gunshot?”

 

“No way, a gunshot!?”

 

“Everyone, calm down!” The teacher yelled, attempting to restore order. “I'm sure it was nothing.”

 

Moments after he finished that sentence, the door flew open and two soldiers burst into the room, one behind the other.

 

“Nobody move!” The first soldier yelled. When the teacher jumped up from his desk, the soldier shot at him. The teacher screamed and fell over, clutching his left hand with his right. Kazu and Kenta, along with the rest of their classmates screamed.

 

“Line up against the wall!” The second soldier said, aiming his rifle at the students. As they moved to comply, two more shots were faintly heard elsewhere in the school. The teacher, still on the ground, was grabbed by the first soldier and hoisted up. The teacher was then tossed toward the students; he then slowly rose and faced the soldiers as he stood in front of the students. He clutched his hand tighter as he saw them moving. The first soldier moved to the corner next to the windows and faced the group. The second soldier said something to someone outside, then closed the door and set his weight against it. While they were doing that, Kazu and Kenta began whispering to each other.

 

“Is this what that dream meant? That we were gonna die today!?” Kazu whispered to Kenta. Another gunshot sounded off, followed by several more close by.

 

“Looks like it buddy.” Kenta whispered back. “It was nice knowing you.” As they prepared themselves for the end, a voice came from the radios and the soldiers looked out the windows.

 

“Dammit!” As soon as they saw what was outside, they moved away from the windows. Instead of shooting the teenagers and teacher, they merely stared at them with contempt.

 

* * *

Jeri was jerked from her memories by the faint sound of a gunshot. The class was quiet for a few moments until a few people started to panic. Jeri looked to the teacher as she rose from her seat and drew the attention of the entire class.

 

“Everyone get in the back corner and keep your heads down. We're going into a lockdown.” The teacher said. As she went to the door, locked it, and turned off the lights, Jeri could only think of her dream. Jeri sat down next to her classmates as the memories of her dream ran through her head. Memories of blood, screaming, and fear.

 

Barely a minute passed before another shot was heard and Jeri flinched. Many whimpered in fear and some were crying a little. A few moments later, another gunshot was heard, closer this time. Everyone in the classroom was completely silent, as they waited for the next shots. Unexpectedly, the next two shots tore off the doorknob, and with it, the lock. The entire class screamed as two soldiers entered the room. The first one turned on the lights and pointed his rifle at the group. The last one lingered at the door, facing the hallway.

 

“You two set up in the hallways, and you wait by the door.” He said with an Italian accent. He walked into the room and faced the huddled mass. Faintly, everyone heard another shot, and then a volley of shots. The soldier who had done all the talking so far chuckled and approached the group. He stopped when his radio crackled to life. He quickly backpedaled and leaned back up against the wall.

 

“Go put the blinds down.” He ordered to the first soldier. He complied and quickly put them down over the windows. He glared at the huddled group and settled on Jeri. As she met his gaze, she felt a wave of terror pass through her, and she huddled closer to the group of terrified students and a teacher.

 

“Looks like we'll be here a while.” The first soldier said in an amused tone.

 

* * *

Henry was dutifully taking notes while the majority of the class, Takato included, was struggling to stay awake. They were all jolted to alertness when they heard a faint noise resembling gunfire. One student even fell out of his desk. That earned a few chuckles, but everyone grew quiet when another shot was heard closer this time. Everyone grew tense as they waited for someone to do something. The entire class jumped at the sound of two more shots close by.

 

“Stay at your seats.” The old teacher commanded. He got up and walked to the door. As he went to open it, he was pushed backward by the door being pushed open forcefully. He landed hard on the ground and didn't get up. Henry and Takato, along with several other students gasped in shock and looked at the door to see two soldiers enter the room. One immediately turned around and said a few words to someone outside. He then closed the door and leaned up against it, aiming his rifle toward the class. The other soldier sauntered over to the desk and climbed on top. He let his rifle hang on a strap as he stared at the terrified faces. The group barely heard another shot, followed by a large burst. The soldier on the desk took a deep breath and looked to be preparing a speech when a voice came from his radio. The soldier let out a surprised screech and listen to the voice.

 

He stared at the second soldier, who looked at him and said one word. “Shit.”

 

**Guilmon's Hut**

**10:05 JST**

 

Guilmon sat up and his eyes turned into slits. 'Takato is in trouble!' He thought as he stood up. He didn't know how he knew, but he just _knew_. Guilmon bashed the gate open with his head and charged towards the school.

 

“I'm coming, Takatomon!” Guilmon yelled.

 


End file.
